PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 237 



which put him on shore, says, he was not received chap. 

 by his countrymen with the surprise and pleasure v-v* 

 which might have been expected ; but this may, ^6. 

 perhaps, be explained by there being no one on the 

 beach to whom he was particularly attached. Be- 

 fore the barge quitted the island, he put on board 

 some shells as a present, in gratitude for the assist- 

 ance which had been rendered him. 



Reverting to the occurrences of the ship off Bow 

 Island : Mr. Elson, the officer who was sent to exa- 

 mine the channel into the lagoon, returned with the 

 supercargo of the Dart, Mr. Hussey, and made a 

 favourable report of the depth of water in the pas- 

 sage, but said its width was so very contracted that 

 it could not be passed without hazard. The exact 

 distance from reef to reef is 115 feet, and there is a 

 coral knoll in the centre ; the trade-wind does not 

 always allow a ship to lie well through it, and there 

 is, at times, a tide running out at the rate of four 

 knots an hour. It was, however, necessary to incur 

 this risk ; and, on the information of Mr. Hussey 

 that the morning was the most favourable time for 

 the attempt, shortly after daylight on the next day 

 (15th), under Mr. Elson's skilful pilotage, we shot 

 through the passage, at the rate of seven knots, and 

 were instantly in a broad sheet of smooth water. 

 We found the lagoon studded with coral knolls, 

 which it was necessary to avoid by a vigilant look 

 out from aloft, as the lead gave no warning of their 

 vicinity ; we beat among them at some risk, and at 

 ten o'clock anchored at the N. E. angle of the lake, 

 in ten fathoms water, on a broad patch of sand, 

 about a quarter of a mile from the shore, and in as 

 secure a harbour as could be required. 



Nearly opposite to our anchorage, the natives, 



